Consumer appliances continue to increase in complexity in response to consumer demands. For example, the typical consumer clothes dryer includes multiple drying cycles, heat levels, etc. to handle the ever growing array of different fabrics and clothes types owned by consumers. From traditional timed cycles to more complex moisture sensing automatic cycles, from towels to delicate silks, from hot to no-heat fluff, the controllers for these consumer appliances are required to provide such functionality while not increasing the cost or reducing the reliability of the appliance itself.
Currently, dryer timers utilize one of two different configurations. The first configuration, which has been used for the North American market for the past twenty to forty years, utilizes a drum with separate cams attached. The cams are free to rotate up to about one degree. When the switches ride over the cams they rotate slightly and cause a quick make or brake. This helps prevent the switches from welding from a slow make or brake. This drum stack is always in contact with the switches and the motor. However, the cam stack is able to be rotated separate from the motor via a clutch between the motor and the cam stack.
The second configuration of dryer timer, which is a newer version, uses an on-off line switch. This on-off line switch is similar to washer mechanical timers utilized in the North American market. In this design, when the user is setting the timer, the cams are removed from the switches by pulling the user interface knob to disengage the cams from the switches. This allows the cam drops to be sharp, and eliminates the need for cams with free motion. Unfortunately, most users are not used to having to push and pull the timer shaft to set the dryer cycle, and then push a separate button to start the dryer. As such, this second design has enjoyed little success in the North American market.
There exists, therefore, a need in the art for a new dryer timer that eliminates the old, bulky, drum cam stack without requiring a user to push-pull the timer shaft to set a particular appliance cycle. These and other advantages of the invention, as well as additional inventive features, will be apparent from the description of the invention provided herein.